Yet another UK school closure owing to cyberattack

CYBER-CRIMe

Great Marlow restricts network access while it investigates suspected infection

Great Marlow School in Buckinghamshire, England, has entered its second day of a shutdown following “a suspected malware incident.”

Only students sitting their GCSE and A-level exams – those in Years 11 and 13 – were permitted to attend on Wednesday, in line with their exam timetable, and the same goes for Thursday.

Students in other years (Years 6-10 and Year 12) were told to stay at home and access what revision materials they can via Microsoft Teams as teachers are currently unable to set them any work.

Those scheduled to take internal mock exams, students in Years 10 and 12, will sit them later in the year. Some extracurricular activities, such as Year 7’s learn-to-row session, have been rearranged, although the 7 and 8 athletics event will go ahead on Thursday as planned.

Great Marlow School’s statement suggests it remains in the containment stage of its recovery, with limited access to systems.

“As a precautionary measure, we have restricted access to elements of our network while we investigate the issue thoroughly and take the necessary steps to ensure the security and integrity of our systems and data,” headteacher Guy Pendlebury said in a statement on the school’s website on Tuesday evening.

“We are responding in line with guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Immediate action has been taken to contain the incident, and we are working closely with specialist IT and cybersecurity professionals to fully assess the situation and restore normal operations as quickly and safely as possible. Appropriate reporting procedures have also been followed.”

The school did not comment on whether the attack involved ransomware or if any of its data was presumed compromised.

It adds to a grim week for cybersecurity in the education sector. A high school in Illinois also closed for two days this week due to a ransomware attack, but reopened on Wednesday, although its phone lines are still down. And Nottingham Uni confirmed it was the victim of Shiny Hunters. 

In Wales, 13 schools across the Powys region were affected by a cyberattack that is thought to have led to data theft from only one of these institutions.

Powys council disclosed the attack on June 4, saying it was originally identified in April, and sensitive data belonging to students and school staff is suspected of being compromised. 

None of the 13 schools have closed, however. ®